Project Grant 2216625

This two-year, $299,998 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering program aims to expand access to computer science education across rural Kansas through the Cyber Pipeline Initiative led by Kansas State University's Department of Computer Science. The initiative currently provides computer science curriculum, teacher professional development and support to seven schools. This demonstration project will modify the Computing Core Initiative curriculum to be more relevant for underrepresented student groups in rural areas, including women, African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx students. At least 20 additional rural high schools will receive the Computing Core Initiative courses and associated instructor support over the grant period to increase the number of underrepresented students entering computer science and computing degree pathways. The work will analyze changes in student attitudes toward computer science, the effects of sharing information about local career opportunities, the impact of offering high school computer science courses, and how social identities influence interest in related careers. Feedback will be gathered from students, teachers and parents to understand perceptions of the field throughout communities.